A print system which composites an image obtained by sensing a user who inserted a coin or coins, and an image prepared in advance, and prints the composited image as a sticker is known. As such system, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 04-104572 or 04-506264 is available. Such system basically stores some background images, and comprises a camera for taking a picture, a computer for controlling composition of the sensed image with one background image selected from the plurality of background images, image sensing of the camera, and an image print process (to be described below), and a printer for printing out an image obtained by compositing the sensed image and the selected background image. However, these systems and patents are not designed for a moving image.
A system that expands the above system to process a movie-like image is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-115866 or 10-117344. However, the “movie-like image” in such system is a series of photos or panel which can be printed out by a printer, and several still images are merely combined using the aforementioned mechanism. Hence, such system is not designed for an actual moving image.
The reasons why the conventional systems are not designed for a moving image, i.e., problems to be solved upon building a system for a moving image, are as follows.
1) A moving image has a considerably larger information size than a still picture, and the apparatus components such as a memory, image processing means, and the like cannot be efficiently implemented.
2) A still image can easily undergo an image process such as composition between a background image and sensed image, but means for editing a moving image by a simple process is not easily available (except for expensive means such as editing apparatuses for TV, movie, and the like).
3) A moving image is hard to output as a printed image, and is not suitable as a medium that everyone can use.
4) The user can exchange printed images output as stickers with friends, but cannot do so for a moving image due to its large information size.
Even when a moving image is allowed to be easily sent as digital data, the following problems concerning copyrights are additionally posed.
5) When an output is printed matter, it is rarely illicitly copied (image quality inevitably deteriorates even by color copying or the like), but when an output is digital data, copies that are free from deterioration of image quality can be easily formed. If data corresponding to a background scene or feature player is copyrighted, it is difficult to attain copyright protection.
6) Even a copyright-free movie of a certain user violates the right of likeness or privacy of that user if it is illicitly copied and sent.
7) If an output is a sticker or the like, a fee can be charged for one set of a predetermined number of stickers. However, when a digital data output is used to implement the same function, a copy count must be controlled, and a charging system corresponding to the copy count must be built, thus requiring a new technique.